How to Start Wanderschooling

Not everyone has a job, lifestyle, or financial means that allows them to easily pick up their homeschool and go, and not everyone wants to roadschool or worldschool full-time or for a long-term block of time. Wanderschooling might just be the ticket.

Dream about integrating lots of travel into your life? Want to homeschool but not be stuck at home? Want to spend more time away from home, but without giving up your fixed address? Want the world to be your child’s classroom?

How to Start Wanderschooling:

1. Do your homework. If you’re not already homeschooling, you’ll need to get the scoop on your state’s requirements. In some states, meeting homeschool legal requirements is easy peasy. In other states, homeschooling families have to jump through several hoops, but don’t let that discourage you–raising kids can be a circus act anyway, what’s one more hoop?

2. Consider your homeschooling goals, schooling philosophies, you children’s learning styles and your travel interests. Is your goal to fill your bucket with one-of-a-kind adventures, like climbing a mountain on every continent? Is your goal to expose your child firsthand to as many world religions as possible? Is your goal to see every state on the East Coast? Is your goal to let your wanderlust take you and your homeschooling classroom wherever the wind blows? Are you a parent who needs to feel like every detail is planned or are you a go-with-the-flow kind of family?

3. Start planning. You don’t need tons of money in the bank to start wanderschooling. You can start small today, integrating adventures into your homeschooling family’s life that might not be something you’d ordinarily do. Perhaps that’s renting a city bike and riding through town, lacing up your sneakers and jogging a trail or route as a family, or planning a pick-your-own berries excursion. Perhaps it’s finally taking the plunge and buying tickets for a weekend trip to Florida or booking an apartment for a three month stay in Spain. You can build your wanderschool adventure bank over time, as you build your own bank funds or slowly (or quickly) tweak your lifestyle/jobs to permit flexible work and travel.

4. Get connected. More and more families are homeschooling, and many are looking for flexible, unique educational travel opportunities. Find a community online or offline that connects you with other like-minded homeschooling families. For example, if you;re interested in RVing around the US, seek out blogs, Facebook groups and Yahoo groups dedicated to that same interest. Of course, we’d also love you to follow us here and on Twitter as we wanderschool.